FRESNO, Calif. — Jerrid Kunkel, 27, of Modesto, pleaded guilty today to receipt and distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between April 2014 and December 2017, Kunkel received and distributed images and videos of child pornography over the internet on his cellphone.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian W. Enos is prosecuting the case.
Kunkel is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on Feb. 21, 2023. Kunkel faces a minimum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.